Art of Andrew C.C. Huang

Late bloomer Three years after he shot to fame on the ‘Happy Sunday’ TV talent show, WeiBird has finally released an album and is preparing for his first stadium shows By Andrew C.C. Huang CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Taipei Times, Fri, Sep 10, 2010 PERFORMANCE NOTES WHAT: Escape of the Two-Legged Bookshelf WeiBird concert (兩腳書櫥的逃亡—韋禮安演唱會) WHERE: Taipei International Convention Center (台北國際會議中心), 1, Xinyi Rd Sec 5, Taipei City (台北市信義路五段1號) WHEN: Sept. 18 at 7:45pm WHERE: Chung Hsing University Huisun Auditorium (台中中興大學惠蓀堂), 250 Kuokuang Rd, Taichung City (台中市國光路250號) WHEN: Sept. 25 at 7:45pm ADMISSION: NT$800 to NT$2,600, available through 7-Eleven ibon kiosks or at www.tickets.com.tw ON THE NET: www.weibird.com Fans of the now-defunct TV talent show Happy Sunday (快樂星期天) had to wait three years for the arrival of their messiah. But it was worth it. The show’s champion, William Wei Li-an (韋禮安) aka WeiBird, made a splash this June with the release of his Wei Li-an Debut Eponymou...

Mando-pop's poetess lets loose Tanya Chua, one of Mando-pop’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, celebrates her birthday this week with a concert at Riverside Live House Taipei Times, F R I D A Y , J A N U A R Y 2 2 , 2 0 1 0 By Andrew C.C. Huang Contributing Reporter PERFORMANCE NOTES: WHAT: Tanya Chua’s 128 Lounge (蔡健雅的128包廂) WHEN: Thursday at 8:30pm WHERE: Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館), 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號) ADMISSION: NT$500 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.books.com.tw/concert ON THE NET: www.tanyachuamusic.com Singaporean songstress Tanya Chua (蔡健雅), Mando-pop’s urbane poetess, is a troubadour who delivers lessons on life’s romantic encounters. On Thursday, her birthday, Chua will present a small concert at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館) titled Tanya Chua’s 128 Lounge (蔡健雅的128包廂), at which she’ll sing signature songs from her repertoire, in addition to covers. One of the most popular and acclaimed singer-songwriters in the ...

Spring is in the air Sandee Chan performs a concert tomorrow of classic hits and numbers from her upcoming album by Andrew C.C. Huang CONTRIBUTING REPORTER Taipei Times, F R I D A Y , A P R I L 1 6 , 2 0 1 0 PERFORMANCE NOTES: WHAT: Sandee Chan — Spring Goddess Cometh (陳珊妮 — 春神來了) WHEN: Tomorrow at 8pm WHERE: Legacy Taipei, located at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號) ADMISSION: NT$600 in advance or NT$800 at the door. Tickets are available through ERA ticketing and online at www.ticket.com.tw ON THE NET: www.sandeechan.com andee Chan’s (陳珊妮) image as an ice queen is set to melt tomorrow when she ditches her goth-punk guise to unveil a new persona, that of spring goddess. As a prelude to the summer release of an as yet untitled springthemed album, the singer, songwriter and producer is holding a concert, dubbed Spring Goddess Cometh (春神來了), at Legacy Taipei tomorrow for which she will perform classic hits and new son...

Joanna Gets Real Taipei Times, Sep 24, 2010 Joanna Wang is in charge of the set list for the first time tonight at her concert at Legacy Taipei by ANDREW C.C. HUANG Contributing Reporter Performance notes What: Joanna — New Tokyo Terror Live Concert (Joanna—新東京恐懼 Live Concert) When: Tonight at 8pm Where: Legacy Taipei (傳音樂展演空間), located at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路 一段1號) Admission: NT$600 to NT$1,000, available through 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, ERA ticketing outlets or online at www.ticket.com.tw On the Net: www.sonymusic.com.tw/pop/joannawang For fans of Joanna Wang (王若琳), now is your chance to see the “real” Joanna, the outspoken singer/ songwriter engaged in a very public struggle to break free from the jazz princess image manufactured by her label, Sony. In a candid e-mail interview, Wang — who will perform more than 20 new, unreleased songs t...

Nothing Succeeds Like Success

A-mei: Rebel with a Cause

Sense and Sensuality ---Art-House Master Tsai Ming-liang discusses his new movie “The Wayward Cloud” and his philosophies in a moody, existential interview --- By Andrew Huang Contributing Writer (This article originally appeared in Taiwan News on Friday, February 18, 2005) For all the film buffs out there, Taiwan’s film world enfant terrible Tsai Ming-liang is back again with his new movie “The Wayward Cloud,” his bravest and most controversial work so far. Tsai’s latest movie “Wayward Cloud” is a daring, envelope-pushing movie about the lives of pornography performers. Tsai’s long-term actors Lee Kang-sheng portrays a porn actor while Chen Shiang-chyi portrays a librarian girl who starts a relationship with Lee and ends up discovering that he is a porn actor. The movie contains colorful musical scenes and sexually explicit scenes. The movie is selected for the official competition section in the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, which will wrap up its week-long even...

Love, Friendship, Jealousy and All That Eternal Summer Directed by: Leste Chen Starring: Bryant Chang, Hsiao-chuan Chang, Kate Yeung Release date: October 13, 2006 Reviewed by Andrew C.C. Huang Directed by Taiwan up-and-coming director Leste Chen, “Eternal Summer” is part of a Taiwan New New Wave films that feature coming of age story with teenage protagonist and told in accessible plotlines. It’s also a piece of the growing canon of Taiwanes queer movie with “The Wedding Banquet” and “Vive L’Amour” as its progenitors and “Blue Gate Crossing” and “Spider Lily” as the recent examples. That said, “Eternal Summer” is also one of the best Taiwanese films of the year. Director Chen, who put his name on the cinematic map last year with the ghost thriller “The Heirloom,” also the second highest grossing film n Taiwan in 2005, proves his mettle by serving up this poignant tale about interwoven love and friendship among three high school students. Jonathan (played by Bryant Chang) is an honor s...

Master of Beauty and Desires --A Retrospective of Hong Kong master Yonfan and his new movie “Colour Blossoms” By Andrew C.C. Huang (This article originally appeared in Taiwan News on August 12, 2005) Everyone knows about the desire for beauty and the disappointment in the loss of it. Invariably, filmmakers all over the world all make their careers out of exploring their desires and disappointments – for what else matters the most in this world besides love? If Hong Kong master Wong Kar Wai is torn between the intrigues of romance and unrequited love while Taiwan auteur Tsai Ming-liang is irrevocably fixated with the allures of human bodies and sexuality, then Hong Kong director Yonfan willingly and gleefully swims in the river of beauty and its enchantment. This week, Yonfan’s highly controversial and extremely erotic movie “Colour Blossoms” will make its Taiwan premier at Taipei’s Spot Cinema under the festival entitled “Music in Taiwan and Mandarin Films: A Companionship.” The fes...

The Pleasure of Fear --- A New Wave of Asian Horror Films Tells Us How to be Scared Ecstatically By Andrew C.C. Huang (This article originally appeared in Taiwan News on September 23, 2005) When in fear and uncertainty, one wants to scream one’s anxieties out as exemplified in the famed Edvard Munch painting “Scream.” What better way in this world to let out one’s fear and angst by experiencing vicariously the fictional horrors on the silver screen and scream out one’s own anxieties out loud in the darkness of movie theaters --- the only place where screaming is considered legal in modern civilization other than the psychiatric ward in the hospital. This month, Taiwan’s film industy challenges the audience’s capacity for facing fear again with the wonderfully executed horror film “The Heirloom.” Already breaking box office record and on its way to become the highest-grossing domestic film this year, the movie is about a young couple moving into their family old mansion. The couple soo...

Merging the Tradition with the Modern - The 30th Anniversary of Cloud Gate Dance Troupe - By Andrew C.C. Huang Contributing Writer (This article originally appeared in Taiwan News) For people who feel intimidated by the opaqueness of modern dance or doubt the validity of Asian dancers performing this decidedly western art form, Taiwan’s Cloud Gate Dance troupe has proved that modern dance can be very “Chinese” and could be enjoyable by all. Cloud Gate Dance Troupe, the premier and the first ever dance troupe in Taiwan, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The troupe celebrated by staging the world premier of “Cursive II” in Taipei on August 30 and a revival of its classic work “Legacy” for three months ending August 26. After the world premier in Taipei, “Cursive II” will move to have its international premier at the opening of Melbourne International Arts Festival on October 9. “I feel incredibly fortunately to being celebrating our 30th anniversary. It has been almost m...

Touches of Zen and Kungfu By Andrew C.C. Huang Contributing Writer (This article originally appeared in Taiwan News) What happens when you pour in the Zen-oriented drumming of Taiwan’s celebrated U Theatre, mix it with essence of the real-life Shaolin kungfu, and then drop in the olive of drama? The result is a dazzling glass of Zen-plus-kungfu Martini – the stage version of the now all-the rage kungfu movie genre. “A Touch of Zen,” the new work by Taiwan’s highly acclaimed U Theatre, will make its world premier at Taipei’s National Theater on June 2. The show will run from June 2 to 4 for four performances. This dramatic musical will run for approximately two hours and contains 12 acts with an intermission in the middle. The performers include 12 of U Theatre’s drummer/actor and 22 of Shaolin Temple’s kungfu practitioners. “A Touch of Zen” is the first part of the planned “Journey to Shaolin” trilogy which will unveil over the next five years. “A Touch of Zen” marks the first colla...